LA to get denser and denser and denser

More than two dozen high rises of 20-or-more stories are either in the process of going up or at least on the drawing board for Century City, downtown, and Santa Monica. This often happens when real estate lending loosens up and projects that had been collecting dust are brought back to life. As long as developers sound the clarion call of "jobs, jobs, jobs," local officials seem willing to go along, no matter how ill-considered the projects happen to be. The earthquake-challenged Millennium Hollywood monstrosity is the most obvious example, but there are others in the list compiled by Curbed L.A. Question: Is the mayor and City Council prepared to ever say no to projects that are not in the best interests of L.A. - or will the promise of short-term construction employment trump all concerns? By the way, there's yet another high-rise being considered: Longtime downtown developer Joseph Hellen is planning a 40-story residential tower between his Spring Arcade Building and the Alexandria Hotel. The 87-year-old Hellen tells the Downtown News that this is a defining time if L.A. wants to be considered a "world class city." With all respect, what utter nonsense. You mean having one of the largest economies on the planet isn't good enough? I love it when developers base a region's overall success on what it means for them.

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